Located on the corner of Montrose and Bushwick, The Vortex is chaotic, overwhelming and endlessly fascinating. It is also a rarity in New York: a thrift store with thrift store prices. Their selection of clothing is somewhat limited, but what they lack in variety of garments they make up for in other ways. With a collection of vinyl to rival The Thing in Greenpoint, and a wall of books that requires several free hours and a lot of dedication to peruse, visiting often frequently pays off.

Past highlights (and purchases) include: enough vintage eyeglass frames ($10) to last us the rest of our spectacled life; the first issue of Viva magazine ($2) and several issues of Interview from the 1980s ($1 each); leftover bolts of upholstery fabric ($10); and a collection of fantastic mid-century auction catalogs and interior monographs (around $4 each).